Everton have looked to make reinforcements in attack this summer. After it was confirmed that Dominic Calvert-Lewin would not be signing a new deal with the club, they needed to sign a new striker, so Thierno Barry signed for the Toffees from La Liga side Villarreal for a reported fee of £27m.
The Frenchman, who played at the recent under-21 European Championships, adds to the Toffees’ attacking ranks that include Iliman Ndiaye, Dwight McNeil and Beto. They will certainly be hoping to improve on the 42 goals they scored last term, which, as per Understat, was only better than the three relegated sides.
To help enhance that attacking output, the Toffees could make a move for one of the stars of those relegated teams.
Everton’s latest attacking target
There is no doubt that the Toffees’ fortunes in front of goal could be far better. Thus, after signing Barry to help with putting the ball in the back of the net, they have seemingly turned their attention to helping create chances for him.
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According to a report from talkSPORT, the Merseysiders are one of the sides showing interest in Leicester City and Morocco international Bilal El Khannouss. They have reportedly ‘made checks’ about the attacking midfielder’s situation this summer, suggesting contact has already been made.
However, this is by no means a straightforward deal, because several other sides are interested in the 21-year-old. Premier League rivals Sunderland, Nottingham Forest and West Ham United are in the race, as are Ligue 1 side AS Monaco and Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen.
Everton, or indeed any interested club, will need to pay his £22.5m relegation release clause.
Why El Khannouss would be a good signing
The 2024/25 campaign was a poor one for Leicester City. Despite changing manager halfway through the campaign, they were unable to stay up. However, one positive from an ultimately grim season was the performances of El Khannouss.
The Morocco international, who is an academy product of Belgian side Genk, made 36 appearances in his first season with the Foxes. In that time, he managed to score three goals and grab five assists, playing mainly as a number ten, but at times as a left winger.
If there is one thing that the youngster will add to this Everton side, it is attacking flair in the final third. Football scout Antonio Mango described him as “technically superb”, and assists like this for Jamie Vardy last season highlight exactly that. The one-two round the corner to Luke Thomas and the perfectly weighted cross is mesmerising to watch.
Should El Kahnnouss make the move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium next season, Everton fans will be hoping he can be the second coming of Iliman Ndiaye. The Senegal star is another player with masses of technical quality, and was described as a “magician” by football analyst and writer Tactically Matt over on X.
The 25-year-old was phenomenal in his first campaign as an Everton player. He bagged 11 goals in 37 appearances, including nine in the Premier League. Arguably, the best of those strikes was this effort against Tottenham Hotspur, with quick feet and a thumping finish showing just how good he is.
The stats on FBref for 2024/25 suggest that El Khannouss has the ability to become the second coming of Ndiaye. He created more chances on average than the Toffees’ number 10, with 1.72 compared to 0.67 per 90 minutes.
The ball carrying numbers are close, too, with Leicester’s Moroccan star averaging 2.92 progressive carries compared to Ndiaye’s 3.19 each game.
Goals and assists
0.24
0.33
Key passes
1.72
0.67
Progressive passes
5.36
2.19
Shot-creating actions
3.16
2.41
Take-ons completed
1.36
2.52
Progressive carries
2.92
3.19
For a fee of just £22.5m, this could be one of the bargains of the summer. Ndiaye is already a handful for Premier League sides, so adding El Khannouss and his bags of technical quality to the firepower in attacking areas is hugely exciting for Toffees fans. As analyst Ben Mattinson noted, he is a “sensational prospect”.
If Everton do complete this deal, it certainly feels like a big step towards their attacking output and technical quality increasing.
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